After playing in the Big 33 Game, Chris Fields was part of the 2009 Ohio State recruiting class. Fields had been an all-Ohio player in high school, where he also ran track and played baseball. Fields’ two major claims to fame for the Buckeyes are his 69-yard punt return for touchdown that helped beat Toledo last year, and his diving touchdown catch of a pass from backup QB Kenny Guiton that was part of the frenzied rally to beat Purdue two weeks ago in Ohio Stadium.

Question: What has it been like to gain some attention after that clutch catch versus Purdue?

Answer: It’s been a confidence booster for me. And though I feel like I gained some recognition, I’m still always working and staying positive, trying to get better each day.

Q: But what is it like to have a moment like that in which everything is on the line, at least in your team’s quest for an unbeaten season, and you come through?

A: It was a great team win all around. When Kenny came in (to replace the injured Braxton Miller), we never lost hope. It was just a good team effort. But for me, that one catch in the end zone, the feeling was it’s all in, and even though it wasn’t the greatest throw, I had to make it happen because of the situation.

Q: Your major is sociology, right?

A: It is, but I want to get into commercial real estate.

Q: What’s the intrigue?

A: You can get big commissions out of what you do. And it’s a competitive-spirit type of situation. As a football player, I feel like I have that competitive approach, so it wouldn’t be a lot different than what I’ve been through, having to work hard all my life. It’s an interest that’s developed over a couple of years. I enjoy learning more and more about it as I go.

Q: With that in mind, is it fair to say you have been planning for life without football for a while?

A: I never want to give up on my dreams of playing in the NFL, not at all. I will pursue that. But I also realize that there is an end to football for you sooner or later. So you have to think about a plan B, while also not being distracted from your plan A. But you have to think about what you want to do when football is said and done. I always try to think ahead, and I became interested in commercial real estate about two years ago.

A: Surprisingly, I am taking it right now. It’s a death and dying class, it’s called “The sociology of death and dying.” That’s something most people don’t think about on a daily basis. For instance, we’ve been talking a lot recently about suicide, a subject that just doesn’t come up in your regular conversations, and what leads some people to do that. It’s really been interesting.

Q: What player or players have you become tight with since you showed up at Ohio State?

A: Jordan Hall, Corey Brown — “Pitt” Brown — and Kenny Guiton have become the three best friends I have ever had. We will always be friends until forever.

Q: What clicked among you four?

A: It was first me and Jordan; then we started being cool with Kenny. It’s just chemistry, really. We just have a lot in common. And we all have the same goals; we want to be successful. We do the same things outside of football. And we relate to each other very well. It’s just always good to be around each other. It’s such a good friendship; I love my boys.

Q: Considering all four of you have had challenges one way or another getting on the field, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in going on four years at OSU?

A: It was a reality check when I first got here and I was redshirted. You’ve got to stay humble, and you’ve got to stay positive. When you go to college, you have no parents or family here, so you’re basically by yourself. So you’ve got to have a mental state of positive thinking, and you’ve got to have faith in God, faith in yourself that your moment will come when God is ready for your moment. Patience — that is the key.